There's no need to ever feel left out again at the water cooler conversation. Here's a rundown of the stories currently trending in the world, the country and your backyard.

Yahoo

View full sizePallbearers carry a coffin towards a hearse during a ceremony to mark the return of the first bodies, of passengers and crew killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, from Ukraine at Eindhoven military air base, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Phil Nijhuis)

Bodies returned: The bodies of 40 of the 298 victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 jetliner were returned to Netherlands Wednesday. In a solemn ceremony, each coffin was removed from the plane and taken to a waiting hearse. Full story: The Associated Press

U.N. inquiry: The United Nations has launched an inquiry into possible war crimes allegedly committed by Israeli forces during its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. The U.N. Human Rights Council announced the investigation Wednesday after adopting a resolution submitted by the Palestinians. According to the resolution, the Israelis launched "disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks" that have killed at least 650 Palestinians. Full story: The Guardian

Arizona execution: An execution in Arizona left an inmate gasping for nearly 2 hours, authorities said. Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne's office said Joseph Rudolph Wood was pronounced dead at 3:49 p.m., one hour and 57 minutes after the execution started. An Associated Press reporter said Wood gasped more than 600 times after the injection. Full story: CNN

Google

Taiwan crash: Almost 50 people are trapped and presumed dead after a commercial plane crashed while trying to land in bad weather on a small Taiwanese island. The TransAsia plane was on its second landing attempt when it crashed. The death toll so far is 48. Full story: The Associated Press

Lerner emails: Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen told the House Oversight Committee Wednesday that investigators are looking at "backup tapes" that could hold emails from ex-agency official Lois Lerner. The committee had been told that the hard drive that contained the emails had crashed and nothing could be retrieved from it. Koskinen, referring to the tapes, said that he does not know "how they found them" or "whether there's anything on them or not." Full story: Fox News